Phil Gould has come to Reece Walsh’s defence after a video surfaced of the Broncos fullback punching a friend as part of what appeared to be a drunken prank, but the Bulldogs football boss has made it clear the real issue was letting it go public.
“This is what young men do,” Gould said on Wide World of Sports’ Six Tackles with Gus podcast.
“The difference is these days that they film it and put it all out on video and social media. That’s the stupidity, that part there.”
‘It’s not a good look’ – but not the end of the world
The clip, originally posted on TikTok, shows Walsh wearing a boxing glove and delivering a punch to a mate’s head in what Walsh insists was harmless fun.
While the incident has raised eyebrows and reportedly angered Broncos officials, Gould was more concerned about its visibility than the behaviour itself.
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“When young men get together and have a drink, this is what they do, this is the prank stuff that they do on each other,” he said. “Reece Walsh probably shouldn’t be doing it because he’s a professional footballer … but that’s Reece wanting to show his mates he is still a part of the group.”
Gould acknowledged that the optics aren’t great, especially with Walsh being a high-profile athlete. “It’s not a good look,” he added. “Everyone is coming out and saying they are supporting violence and other things … but the stupidity here is Reece Walsh allowing it to be videoed and getting it on social media.”
Walsh himself has tried to play down the incident, telling Nine’s Today Show, “We don’t support violence and stuff like that, but obviously, it’s not a good look for myself. That was all [me] trying to have a laugh and a good time with friends.”
Chief executive Dave Donaghy has already reached out to Walsh, and while the club has not confirmed disciplinary action, Walsh admitted, “(Donaghy is) a bit disappointed in the post.”
The fullback, currently sidelined from Origin I with a knee injury, is expected to return in round 13 against Manly following the Broncos’ round 12 bye.